The Bond A Child Can Bring
by attiana1579
Summary: Shikatema. Shika and Tema have to guard a very bratty, and smart, girl. Will this mission push their already thin tolerence of each other over the edge? Or will the she help them see each other in a new, more loving, light?
1. Chapter I

Disclaimer: Believe it or not, i dont own Naruto

Note: Constructive critisizm will be welcomed, flames will be ignored. I do my best to re-read the chapter before i post it up i'm only human. Only mention grammer if it's just rediculous or i misspelled a character's name. Tnx everyone! Enjoy the story!

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"Nara Shikamaru. Sabaku no Temari. Lady Hokage requests your presence. Immediately."

The messenger-nin disappeared without a trace.

For Shikamaru, this was good timing. It was a drag having to guide the violence-prone kunoichi around. Maybe Temari was being called back to Suna. Now _that_ would be good. It'd give him a chance to actually watch the clouds again without having to worry about her biting his head off about being 'late'. The only reason he stayed around was the fact that she was good for conversation.

Temari frowned. How was she suppose to get anything done with people calling for her every five minutes? The Chuunin Exams were only a few months away and she needed to do some serious security checks. And with Nara being late _every single day_ it was amazing she managed to do as much as she did. Hmph, Nara was lucky he was good for a laugh, or he'd have more than just a few bruises from her fan.

"Now what?" Temari wondered out loud, jumping into the air. Shikamaru shrugged and followed her.

When they walked into the room, Tsunade visibly relaxed. Shikamaru's mind began to turn. Was there something bothering her that only they could deal with? He hoped not. It'd be just his luck to get stuck with her more often than he already was. He resisted the urge to sigh.

Temari glanced at Shikamaru to see if he'd noticed Lady Tsunade's reaction. Something flickered over his face for a moment, before he settled into his usual impassive expression. Yep, something was going on in that supposedly genius mind of his. Temari turned to focus back on Tsunade. She knew she and Shikamaru would have plenty of time to talk about it later.

She didn't know how right she was.

"Temari, Shikamaru. I'm appointing you both an S-rank mission."

Temari blinked in surprise. Shikamaru frowned slightly. Both their minds raced.

"Both of us?" Temari asked.

Suna and Konoha may have been pretty good allies for a while now, but Tsunade-sama still didn't have the right to appoint her missions.

Tsunade smiled. "Hai. Both of you. If you want, you may see the Kazekage's order in a moment, Temari. But first, let me tell you the assignment." Here, her face hardened.

"There is a little girl in the Rock Country. Her father is Suzuki Daishiro and her mother is Suzuki Tamika. Her name is Suzuki Akina. She is seven years old." Tsunade took a breath and sighed.

"She has an IQ of roughly 180 and, from what they wrote, a nasty temper."

Temari glanced at Shikamaru. He looked slightly surprised. _She's almost as smart as him…_

"She is the sole possessor of a very dangerous Keikke Genkia. Apparently, the trait has been lost for so many generations that the people in this village began to believe there was no hope of its return. It was suppose to have died out over a hundred and fifty years ago. Then, it popped back up in this girl." Tsunade took another deep breath.

"Frankly, the villagers are afraid of her." Shizune murmured, stroking a sleeping Tonton.

"And you want us to capture her." It was the statement, not a question. Shikamaru seemed pretty sure of this.

Until Tsunade smiled.

"Not at all. In fact, she's come to you."

Shikamaru frowned. Two surprises in one day. This was not going to end well. He sighed softly. What a drag, this was probably going to cut into his cloud watching time.

"Sabaku Temari. Nara Shikamaru. Your mission is to protect this little girl. Because of her abilities, there are many people after her. Her own village doesn't have the resources to protect her. Also, they write," She picked up a piece of paper. " 'We believe the Rose of the Sand and the Strategist of Konoha will be enough to handle her."

"Handle her?" Temari asked. Shikamaru's mind was going a mile a minute.

"Hai. Given her intelligence and her amount of strength, they believe that the two of you, together, would be enough to keep her in check, if you will, and protect her at the same time. They requested you especially." She sat back, watching the two of them.

"She doesn't seem like a walk in the park." Shikamaru said, when Temari was silent.

"Her own parents are afraid of her." Shizune replied.

Shikamaru looked over at Temari. She was staring, obviously looking at something that wasn't there in the office. _She thinks this girl sounds like Gaara._ Shikamaru guessed.

"So when is she due to arrive?" He asked.

"Tomorrow morning. Dawn, to be precise." Shizune handed them a scroll. Shikamaru took it.

"What's this?"

"Instructions. On which one of you will have her and when."

Temari snapped out of her daze. "Have her?" She frowned.

Tsunade nodded. "Hai. It's all been arranged. Temari will take her to Suna when need be. But other wise, the two of you will stay in a house I've designated with the girl."

"Together?" They said in unison.

"Hai. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. This is an S-rank mission. Something I, Lord Kazekage, and the people of the village believe only you can accomplish. Do not be mistaken, this isn't mere babysitting. You will be risking your lives. If not from shinobi, then from her. Temari, here."

Tsunade handed her the scroll from Gaara.

"I expect the two of you to be here at dawn. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." They replied.

"Good. You're dismissed." They left her office. Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"Well. I don't know about you, Shizune, but I have my money on the girl."

"Lady Tsunade! That's a horrible thing to say!"

Tsunade just laughed.

Temari read the letter from her brother while Shikamaru walked next to her, reading 'the instructions'. Gaara's message was clear. He was ordering her to do whatever Lady Tsunade instructed. She frowned, turning her head to Shikamaru. "I'm going to the embassy."

"No you're not."

Temari froze. The air grew tense.

"What did you just say to me, Nara?" She breathed, touching her fan lightly.

He held up both hands. "Hey, don't get mad at me. Maybe you should read 'the instructions'." He held the scroll out, which she snatched from his hands. She scanned it quickly.

"The house?" She murmured out loud.

"Hai. We're suppose to spend the night there. Make sure no one's trying to bug it or something."

"Hai. I know. I can read."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"This girl sounds like she's going to be a pain." Temari remarked when the house came into view.

"Not worse than you." Shikamaru murmured.

In an instant, her fan connected with his head. "Watch it, Nara." She snapped.

Shikamaru rubbed the sore whelp forming on his head. "In any case, you're right." He said, as if she hadn't just killed some of his brain cells. "We will have to be careful with this one. How troublesome."

After searching the house from top to bottom, Temari and Shikamaru found their respective bedrooms and went to sleep, wondering about the girl coming tomorrow and how they were going to keep from going crazy with the other only feet away.

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Hope you enjoyed the story! Plz review! tnx


	2. Chapter II

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, i'd be making more episodes. But i dont :( 

Note: At the bottom off all my chapters, ill just be responding to the reviews i get and sayin thanks nd stuff. Also, this chapter is longer than my chapters usually run (lol, i'll try, but dont be expecting this all the time) Like i've said, i re-read my stories before i submit them, so i'm pretty sure i got all the gramatical mistakes. That said:

Enjoy the story:)

* * *

Temari subconsciously touched the fan on her back, checking to make sure it was firmly in place. Though she'd been up for almost an hour, it was still dark, well before dawn. Plenty of time to get to the Hokage's office before the girl was due to arrive. 

Unless, of course, _someone_ didn't cooperate.

Temari sent the ceiling a dirty look.

Shikamaru still wasn't awake, despite the sincere threats she'd given him if he made her late. She gave a little huff of annoyance. This was just like him, snoozing away when they had a mission to begin. Honestly, of all people, they had to pick _the most_ annoying one for her to be paired with. _And to think Gaara actually agreed with this…_ She seethed.

Then, in the midst of her extreme annoyance, a thought began to for in her head. A funny thought. An entertaining thought. An (to be quite truthful) evil thought.

Why should she, Sabaku no Temari, wait on anyone? Especially, that lazy ass, crybaby of a shinobi?

In fact, she couldn't think of a reason not to go up there and wake him up herself! (Not that she was trying very hard.)

Yep, that's exactly what she should do. Just go upstairs and wake him up herself.

She swung her fan off her back in a fluid motion, snapping it open.

Very violently, of course.

Temari grinned at the thought of her (evil) intent, and started up the stairs. Once there, she opened the door slowly and slipped in with all the stealth she'd ever been taught. It was just as she suspected, the good-for-nothing boy laid in bed, blissfully unaware of the danger about to befall him.

But then, Temari got a closer look.

Now, Temari would never, ever admit it. In fact, she'd probably kill someone for even implying it. Torturing them first before ending their life very painfully. Nope, she would never, ever admit it. Never in a thousand years. Not in this life or any life yet to come. But, it happened.

Temari blushed.

Shikamaru was a wild sleeper. His blankets were all kicked off his bed. She would've guess he was. The boy was undisciplined when he was awake, it would only make sense that he'd be was the same asleep. Quite logical actually.

What she wouldn't have guessed is that Shikamaru sleeps in nothing but his boxers.

She stood there, frozen, her plan completely forgotten.

Her eyes began to wander.

The boy three years her junior might have been the epitome of laziness, but his body sure did everything to contradict that. His muscular body was noticeable, even in the dark. And here she thought he was nothing more than a little stick figure! Temari noticed her mouth was open and clamped it shut tightly.

This was ridiculous. She glanced at him again. Okay, maybe she _shouldn't_. blast him awake. _Yeah, he'll be bothering me about it all day if I do._ She reasoned. That thought managed to override the other traitorous thoughts she was having and pushed them to the back of her mind. _Still, I should wake him up._

She walked up to the bed, bent down, and said, "Hey, Nara."

Bad idea.

Shikamaru went into full battle mode. His arm shot out and caught her arm, pinning her in place while he shot up, right into Temari.

Their lips locked.

For a split second, they remained frozen, shocked beyond reason.

Then…

"**BAKA!**" Temari's arm ripped out of his grip and, fan still in hand, whacked him across head, sending him flying in the opposite wall.

Shikamaru blinked, still dazed, before coming to his senses. "Woman! What in the hell are you doing! What'd you hit me for? Damn…" He touched the side of his head lightly and it came away a little bloody. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"**I WAS TRYING TO WAKE YOU UP YOU PERVY-NIN! NOW WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE THANKS TO YOU! GOOD FOR NOTHING LAZYASS BAKA!** She stormed out of the room, much to Shikamaru's relief. He was all too aware that he was sitting in front of her in only his boxers. That didn't keep him from seeing, to Temari's future horror, that she was blushing in the soft morning light. He smiled. How cute.

Hmmm…

Light…

Shikamaru groaned. Great, now she was going to have something else to bother him about. He rubbed his eyes and got up to get dressed.

:oOo:

"You're late." Tsunade remarked.

Temari glared at Shikamaru. He pretended not to see her.

"Lucky for you, they've been spotted a few miles off." She got up and walked towards the door. "Well, let's go meet them." But, as she was walking past Shikamaru, she stopped and frowned at him.

"What happened to your head?"

"Nothing." Temari snapped.

"Nothing." Shikamaru grumbled at the same time.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and smirked, but remained silent. Soon, they were at the village gates, awaiting Suzuki Akina's arrival. But before the little girl arrived, Shikamaru turned to Temari and handed her a mask, similar to those that the ANBU wear. The Sand-nin frowned, taking it.

"What's this for?"

"Let's just say I want to surprise her."

Temari shrugged and put it. There, the three of them (four after Shizune came out, yawning and apologizing for being late) stood waiting. They didn't have to wait much longer. A black carriage came slowly into view. Six people were around it. Two carrying it in front, two pushing in the back, and two on both sides.

The carriage stopped in front of them. One of the foot soldiers stepped forward and bowed. "Lady Hokage-sama, it is an honor to meet you. I am Hitaro Saru." Tsunade beamed at the compliment. Shizune rolled her eyes.

"The pleasure is all mine. So, where is Akina-chan?"

The answer came unexpectedly.

"WHY DID WE STOP?" Someone screeched. There were several loud bangs as someone's fist threatened to break a hole in the carriage. "WHERE ARE WE? LET ME OUT DAMNIT!"

The leader of the group visibly winced, looking physically pained. He then nodded to the man on the right side of the carriage. The man whispered something to the door before opening it, leaning inside.

Then…

A girl with large, midnight colored eyes jumped out. Her hair was long and wavy, hanging clear to her back. She had a delicate looking frame and a pretty face. Her dark eyes looked around as one of the guards walked her toward them. She was rubbing her wrists. Temari frowned when she noticed the redness.

"Handcuffs?" Temari whispered so only Shikamaru could hear.

"Why would a little girl need handcuffs?" He murmured back, confirming that he'd seen the marks too.

"Akina," Saru said gently, hesitantly. "This is Lady Tsunade. She's Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"I know who she is." Akina cut him off sharply, keeping her face impassive.

"I assume Temari-san and Shikamaru-san will be here shortly?" He asked Tsunade, trying to ignore Akina's harsh words.

"Something like that." Tsunade replied kindly. They continued to speak while Akina appeared to be bored.

But truthfully, she was analyzing the situation carefully.

_It's still dawn, so it'll be a while before they have someone awake and prepared to follow me. _She thought, glancing around. _The idiots escorting me here will have no chance of catching me. I highly doubt the Hokage herself will run after me._ Akina forced herself not to snicker. _And look at those two, pathetic._

One of the guards that accompanied Tsunade had his head drooping, as if prepared to fall asleep on his feet. The other was inspecting her nails. Neither of them were paying close attention to her.

She waited a few minutes, just to confirm it was true. It was.

Akina resisted the urge to shake her head and smirk. _See ya, suckers._

Before anyone noticed, she took off at an amazing speed, already fading into the distance before anyone turned around.

Or so she thought.

Shikamaru had noticed the slight change in the girl's stance and discreetly signaled Temari.

When she started running, they were already hot on her tail.

Saru stared off at her, his face a mix of fear and surprise. "Hokage-sama! Quick! You must have someone follow her! If she gets too far, no one will be able to track her!"

Shizune looked surprised. Tsunade wasn't worried. "There is someone following her. Two people in fact."

Saru shook his head. "You mean those two? I implore you, Lady Hokage, you will surly need more people!"

Shizune shook her head and smiled. Tsunade laughed out loud. "Hitaro-san, please follow me.

:oOo:

Akina laughed, quite pleased with herself. How easy this had been! She glanced behind her again. One of those masked freaks was following her, which meant she had to keep an eye out for the second one. But she doubted the other would be much help to the one already following her. He was already falling behind.

Too bad she didn't know anything about Temari, or she might've been more careful…

"Temari." Shikamaru called.

She appeared next to him. "Can you believe this kid?" Temari shook her head. "It's ridiculous. Doesn't she have any kind of discipline? And where does she think she's going?" She shook her head again. You wouldn't see any of the Sand village children acting like this.

"I don't know, but it's quite troublesome. Anyway, head her off and knock her into the street. Be _gentle_."

"Yeah, yeah." Temari grinned her signature grin at him and sped off. Shikamaru jumped off the roof and tried to match his pace with hers. Letting his thoughts drift momentarily to Temari's blushing face only a few hours earlier…

Far ahead, Akina glanced behind her. The first masked baka had either fallen behind, given up, or was making a plan with the other one. _I'd like to see them try to catch me._

She concentrated on the destination in front of her again.

And almost ran straight into Temari.

Quickly, quicker than Temari anticipated, she veered to the left, managing to run around her. Temari scowled. Most people would've stopped dead in their tracts, but this meant the girl knew how to think on her feet. And she was only seven! Temari hated to admit it, but Shikamaru was right. This _was_ going to be a drag.

Swiftly, Temari unhooked her fan and threw a kunai at the speeding girl at the same time.

Instinctively, Akina leaned to the left.

Temari smirked. _Gotcha._

She brought her fan to the right and swung to the left.

A blast of wind threw Akina off balance and another burst of wind curled around her like a blanket and sent her flying towards the ground.

After laying there a moment, dazed, Akina groaned and picked herself up. _Damn,_ she thought. _She slowed me down._ The seven-year-old was surprised by the sudden burst of wind. Of course, only after it came did she understand the wildly thrown kunai. _Stupid masked woman_… She dusted herself and turned to run again when she suddenly froze.

But she didn't want to freeze.

_What the…?_

Out of the shadows, the masked man walked up to her confidently.

And, to Akina's surprised, she began to walk towards him. _What kind of jutsu is this?_ She scowled at him.

"It's called Shadow Possession." He said, as if hearing her thoughts. "In short, my opponents have to mimic my every move." As if to show her, he lifted up his arm. She lifted hers up, a perfect shadow image.

"Quit showing off, Shikamaru." Temari jumped down next to him. She smiled, letting him know she was just playing.

Then, as if knowing where they'd be, Tsunade appeared out of nowhere. Along with Shizune and a few, stunned, men.

Tsunade nodded at them. "You can take those masks off now."

They did so, Akina mimicking their motions. Saru frowned at her.

"Gentlemen," Tsunade began, bringing his attention back to her. "May I introduce, Nara Shikamaru and Sabaku no Temari."

Saru's jaw dropped.

_That explains a lot._ Akina thought silently, resigning herself to her fate.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you both." He gave a low bow, clearly still surprised. "Well, now that I have see the two of you in action, I am more than convinced that the two of you are perfect for this mission!" He seemed more relieved than anything else.

"Hitaro, perhaps we should go to my office to discuss the finer details of this mission. Shikamaru, Temari, take Akina and these men to the designated house so that they may get her settled in."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." They replied.

They left, and Shikamaru hesitantly released his jutsu. Akina didn't move. "Well, let's get this over with. I want to get some more sleep." Akina frowned at him before shifting her face into a more serene expression.

The guards and Akina headed out in front of them.

"Well?" Shikamaru said lowly, not wanting Akina to hear them.

"Amazing physical ability. What about you?"

"Smart enough. She's able to think on her feet."

"That's what I thought."

"But I haven't seen her so called genius yet."

"You think they were over-exaggerating?" Temari murmured, picking at her fingernails."

"No. We shouldn't underestimate this girl. In any case, by lunch time tomorrow, I should be able to tell you what to expect from her."

"Good." Temari smirked. "I wanna hear what one genius has to say about another."

Shikamaru snorted. "Well, _this_ genius hopes she likes to sleep. A LOT."

Temari laughed.

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Well! that was the second chapter! (my arms nd wrists are killing me...) I hope you all liked it! Plz review, it really brightens my day!! 

Time for:

**REVIEW THANK YOU'S**

Iwannabeamongoose: tnx, i hope you liked this chapter!

beerbelly: lol, i'm glad you dont mind! (wink wink!) tnx for the review, hope you like this second chapter!

jimu: aww, that's sweet of you to say! I hope they are enjoying it! tnx alot!

Haileyamandar: I hope i didnt make you wait too long! Nd i hope you really do love this story! I'll do my best!

**Much love Everyone!**


	3. Chapter III

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto

Note: My mom's forcing me off the computer so i didnt get a chance to re-read for any grammer mistakes, still, i hope you like this chapter, it was really hard to think off. That said:

Enjoy the chapter :)

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Temari scowled. 

She'd been upstairs for five minutes. _Five minutes!_ Just long enough to get Akina settled into her room. And what does she come downstairs to?

Shikamaru sleeping on the couch.

Five minutes, and he was out like a light.

How, exactly, did he expect to 'know more about Akina by noon tomorrow' if all he did was sleep? She huffed. Well, the baka was lucky she had paper work to do or he be getting a piece of her mind and the blunt side of her fan.

She settled down at the table. Oh well, better let him sleep. He'd be bothering her all day if she woke him up now. She snuck a peak at him. And he was kind of cute sleeping… _Yeah, like a little boy._ She thought quickly.

Temari shook her head and re-concentrated on her work.

So much paperwork. Most of it was about the Chuunin Exams and the Sand genin participation in it. Others talked more about the treaty between the two villages. Mostly though, stuff the Kazekage should've been working on. Temari smiled. Gaara might've been a skilled shinobi and expert assassin, but he still hated to do paperwork.

She could almost see him now, thrusting the papers at her.

"_If you don't mind, Temari-chan." He murmured. "I don't want to deal with this boring stuff."_

Before the demon had been removed from him, Gaara wouldn't have known the difference between 'fun' and 'boring'. She shook her head. Kankuro was having too much influence on his little brother.

Which reminded her…

She slipped two small scrolls out of her pocket. One was from Kankuro, doing what he did best: complaining.

_Everything is so boring when you aren't here! When are you coming back? Gaara says you have important business in Konoha. What's that suppose to mean? Surely you don't wanna spend that much time with pineapple head! Come back soon, people listen to me more when you're here._

Kankuro. Very much a little brother missing his big sister.

She glanced at the second scroll before picking it up. This was from Gaara, penned in his own hand. Very rare since he'd become the fifth Kazekage.

_Meetings are boring, as usual. A little boy came up to me yesterday and gave me a hug. Strange. Even stranger, I slept last night. It is so strange, waking up. I don't know how I'll get use to it._

Temari smiled fondly, and sadly, at her brother's letters.

:oOo:

Akina wanted to go home.

And she wanted to go home _now._

This village was driving her insane. No one knew her. People hadn't glanced at her twice since she'd gotten here. No one knew how dangerous she could be. And with those two watching over her, she wouldn't get the chance to educate them. And there was no way they were letting her out of their sight for too long, much less out of the house. What was she suppose to do all day.

Akina paced the room.

She was sure she was going insane, trapped in these walls.

Physiological torture, that's what it was.

Akina curled her hand into a fist. When she got back, she was going to reek _so_ much havoc…

She was itching to do something, but she didn't want to go downstairs. Didn't want to face those two. The entire way over, they'd done nothing but bicker and snipe at each other. But when capturing her, they'd been like a well oiled machine, almost as if they knew what the other was thinking. It was infuriating. Akina knew, from studying others, that how people acted together usually determined how they'd work on a team. But these two. Compared to how they normally acted, they were completely different people on the battle field.

Akina stopped pacing.

Now _that_ would be interesting. Figure out how those two worked. Studying them more would work to her advantage too.

She knew her first escape attempt had been foolish. She'd had plenty of hours to think about it. But her next one, now she was certain _that_ would go flawlessly. And it was only a matter of time.

Composing herself, Akina tied her hair into a half ponytail and proceeded downstairs.

The man was sleeping on the couch. Akina gathered he was the more laid back one of the duo.

The woman was in the kitchen, surrounded by papers. But she seemed particularly concentrated on two notes in particular. In fact, Akina was able to stand on the stairs for a while before her eyes snapped to her. The woman (_Temari,_ Akina remembered) relaxed and smiled.

Akina turned to leave when she called.

"Akina! Come back!"

Suspicious, Akina turned back around. Temari waved her over. "Hey, you wanna help me?" Akina proceeded down the stairs slowly.

"You want me to help you?"

Temari noted her suspicious tone.

"Yeah, if you want, you can stamp these documents for me." Temari handed her a bunch of already signed papers and her brother's stamp

Akina twisted the figure around in her hand, inspecting it closely.

"This is the official stamp of the Kazekage." Akina murmured.

Temari was surprised, though, in hindsight, she knew she shouldn't have been. "You're correct."

"Why do _you_ have it?"

_What a smart-alecky girl._ "That would be because I'm the sister of the Kazekage."

Akina looked briefly surprised. "Hm. He is your only brother?"

"No, I have one other, he's older than Gaara."

"You are the eldest?"

"Hai."

"Hmm…" Steadily, she began to stamp the papers. After a moment, she stopped. "So why are you in Konoha?"

Temari didn't glance up from her reading as she responded. "The Chuunin Exams are coming up and Suna genin are participating in it. Unfortunately, this means a lot of paperwork."

"Chuunin Exams?"

Temari heard the awe in Akina's voice and looked up. She frowned slightly. She wasn't as good as Shikamaru at telling if the girl was trying to pull one over on her. But after a moment, she decided it was okay.

"Hai, the Chuunin Exams."

Akina stared down at her hands, thinking again. Temari smiled. "Would you like to go to them?" Akina's head snapped up to her.

"You are serious?" Her voice was demanding, as if to make sure Temari wouldn't joke about something like this.

Temari held in her laughter. "Of course. Nearly everyone goes. You can be up in the box with me and Gaara."

Akina stared at her, as if Temari was an alien being. "Why would you do that?"

It was Temari's turn to look at Akina as if she were crazy. "You just asked to go didn't you?"

Again, Akina stared down at her hands, secretly deciding to postpone her escape. Only long enough to see if the sister of the Kazekage would keep her promise. Temari smiled and put the paper she was holding down. "How would you like to see more of Konoha." Very seriously, Akina nodded.

"Good." Temari said.

In a motion so quick, Akina nearly missed it, Temari picked up a cup near her and chunked it at Shikamaru's head.

Needless to say, it made contact.

Groaning, Shikamaru sat up and stretched. "What do you want, troublesome woman?"

"Get up lazy ass, you're suppose to be my guide."

"Can't you wait?"

"_Now._"

He grumbled something about women and their attitudes. Temari threw a kunai at his this time. He dodged it. It stuck to the wall.

_What strange people…_ Akina thought.

:oOo:

"And these are the Hokage Faces." Shikamaru pointed. "There's the first, second, third, fourth, and our current one, the fifth."

Things had been going well. Akina, despite her impassive expression, seemed to be enjoying herself. Temari suspected that, like herself, Akina didn't like to be kept in too long. She was much more enjoyable now, hardly every sarcastic.

"This is the Academy."

Akina stopped dead in her tracts.

Shikamaru noticed her posture. She seemed to be shrinking back, as if the children running in the yard made her physically sick. He frowned, wondering why she would do that.

"Shikamaru-sensei!"

He looked up as several Academy students came and tackled him. Laughing, he managed to remain upright for a moment, before falling under the weight of all of them. On the ground, he could see that Akina had switched her position, now standing behind Temari. _That girl is quick_. He thought.

Finally, the kids let him up.

"When are you coming back to teach us, Shikamaru-sensei?" One yelled. Several other yelled too, voicing their complaints.

"Yeah, it's fun when you're here!"

"Can you show us you shadow jutsu again?"

"Ino-sensei is boring…"

"Hey, who's that girl?"

Someone had finally noticed Akina.

"Everyone, this is Akina-chan." Shikamaru introduced her. From under her light blue bangs, Akina looked at him like he was crazy. None of the other kids seemed to notice this.

"Cool! Where is she from?'

"Is she saying long?"

"How old is she?"

"Who are her parents?

"I've never seen her before."

"Is she coming to the Academy?"

Shikamaru managed to quiet them down, sending the back to Ino before striking up a conversation with her himself. This didn't go unnoticed by Temari. She frowned, feeling a strange feeling at seeing him talking to her. She couldn't quite identify it… Whatever it was, she didn't like it…

She turned to Akina, to try and forget about how she was feeling. "What is your school like? Sort of like this?"

Akina, who'd been staring at the children a moment ago, now seemed to shrink back into her shell. "No, not like this at all."

Temari frowned. "Well, what was it like."

Akina's eyes darkened. "I wouldn't know." She said bitterly. "I'm not allowed to go to school."

* * *

I hoped everyone enjoyed the story! Plz review! 

Time for:

**Review Thank You's**

Haileyamandar: I hope you liked this chapter! tnx for reviewing!

Iwannabeamongoose: lol, tnx! hope you liked this chapter!

Shiva-wolfsbane: glad you like my writing style, i thought people might not get it at first!

SaraDJ: yay! more people like my writing style! that's really nice of you to say! plus, i'm glad you like the plot! tnx for reviewing!

jimu: your review sent me to school soo happy! I'm so happy you liked the last chapter and i hope this chapter lived up to your expectations :)

beerbelly: tnx bunches :D

ThisIsntClaire: lol, srry for making you wait! tnx for the review!

ForgottenLovedOne:tnx a bunch!


	4. Chapter IV

Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto

Note: Yay! Fourth Chapter up! Srry, this is a little shorter. Also, i wont be posting a chapter tmmw. (hides from reviewers) I have to go to a football game, so i'll be posting the fifth chaper friday, srry:(

* * *

The air was _way_ more than tense. 

Akina and Temari stood a few feet apart. Both looked calm and confident. They were about to spar, only stopping when the winner drew first blood. Akina had her light blue hair pulled back into a smooth ponytail. Temari's ash-blond hair was in its usual style.

Shikamaru stared up at the clouds.

The past two weeks had been more than interesting.

Especially since Akina had been harder to figure out than he thought.

Sometimes the girl was happy. Laughing and teasing, she was just like any other girl her age. Other times, she seemed to shrink into her shell, as if willing herself to be invisible. This often happened around kids her own age. Then, she was the model of confidence, tending to be quite sarcastic. This was usually around adults.

But then, there was the anger.

One night, Akina was furious. It was like she couldn't control herself. She activated her Keikke Genkia, her eyes becoming a bright, shining purple. She'd raged, tearing down multiple trees and crystallizing half the forest floor. He and Temari had barley managed to get her under control.

After her rampage, she passed out for a day and a half. When she did eventually wake up, she refused to come out of her room for another day, not even coming out to eat.

Only after that had Shikamaru remembered Tsunade's warning about Akina being the death of them.

Now, it seemed all too real.

In any case, it was Temari who suggested the sparring session.

For more reasons than one.

:oOo:

"I think we should enroll her in the Academy."

Leaning against the living room wall, Shikamaru frowned at her.

"She's too dangerous, Temari. The situation isn't plausible. Think about it." He shook his head. "What if what happened yesterday happened at the Academy? She could kill _all_ of them. Easily."

"Which is why I mentioned the sparring practice." She replied calmly, clearly having thought about the conversation. "If we can better understand her fighting jutsu, then we can understand how to discipline her into controlling, or even suppressing, her fits of rage." She shifted to a comfortable spot on the couch.

Shikamaru paused, as if to think, but he wasn't. His eyes traveled to Temari's right shoulder. It was tightly bandaged, but blood was seeping though again. He'd have to redress it.

Temari followed his line of sight. "It wasn't her fault." She reminded him. "She couldn't control herself."

Akina, in a state of rage, had created hundreds of crystal spikes, sending them all flying at Temari at the same time. Luckily, her fan managed to blow most of them away, but Akina hid one away, sending it shooting towards her when Temari had her guard down. She dodged, but not before the crystal spike had planted itself firmly in her shoulder.

It would take Shikamaru a while to get the sound of Temari's bone crunching as it broke out of his head...

Shikamaru shrugged, secretly hating this conversation. "You're being surprisingly lenient." He murmured, shoving his hands in his pocket.

"And you're being surprisingly strict." She retorted, looking surprisingly comfortable for someone with a hole in her arm.

He rolled his eyes, and was silent. After a moment, she turned her head toward him and said, "Come _on_, Shikamaru. They won't even let her go to _school_. How cruel can you get?" Temari had a brief flashback of going to school without Gaara. Watching him watch her and Kankuro leaving, not understanding why he couldn't go…

"There's a reason for that."

"Yeah. Fear. And that's a _great_ reason to shun a seven year old."

_She has a point._ Shikamaru thought. Still, he shook his head. "This is too troublesome. And it isn't a part of our mission."

Temari stared at him, a little surprised. "You can't seriously not want to help this girl."

Shikamaru held up a hand.

"It's not a part of our mission." He continued. Then he shrugged. "But I don't see anything wrong with helping her control herself. As for her going to school…we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Temari's eyes relaxed and she smiled.

For some odd reason, Shikamaru couldn't breath when she did that.

:oOo:

"Hey, Nara!"

Shikamaru lowered his head and focused on Temari. She had her hand on her hip and she looked annoyed.

"You're suppose to be watching, not daydreaming."

"Get off my case, woman."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to Akina. "Ready?" She asked the younger girl. Akina smirked and nodded.

"Right." Shikamaru said. "You both know the rules. The match doesn't end until one of you draws blood or forfeits-"

"Which, Akina, is why you _aren't_ fighting Shikamaru." Temari snickered.

Shikamaru glared at her. Akina looked confused.

"Or someone forfeits the match." He continued. "Understand?"

"Hai." They replied.

"Okay, begin."

Immediately, Akina's eyes turned purple. Shikamaru's mind began to spin. Either she was like Neji, and used her bloodline trait often in battle, or she was a seven year old girl who, not knowing any better, always used her most powerful attack first. Either way, it would be interesting to see what she had in mind. And he knew she had something planned.

Two days ago, he'd been locked in a heated battle of chess with her. (Much to Temari's annoyance and insistence that the two of them were boring.)

He'd won, of course, but just barely (Akina couldn't believe it when she lost. She _never_ lost...). The girl was beyond smart. So it was probably a good idea to believe she had something up her sleeve.

They'd been fighting for about ten minutes when Akina rushed at Temari, throwing three, strangely clear, kunai at her. Temari, her fan showing only one purple dot, flicked her wrist, sending the kunai flying straight to the ground with a burst of air. Akina dodged, shifting into super speed. Temari grounded herself and flung another burst of wind at her.

Akina dodged widely, her speed bringing her closer and closer to the long distance fighter.

Again, Akina threw the strangely clear kunai at Temari.

Temari only repositioned her fan to dodge it.

But when the kunai it, her fan went spinning uncontrollably out of her hands.

Shikamaru's jaw dropped. _That's impossible…_ He thought as it landed firmly in the ground.

Apparently, Akina thought so too. She stared after it, clearly confused. Then, something dawned on her face.

At the same time, it occurred to Shikamaru.

_We're surrounded._

A thin, solid wire spun quickly around his body, pulling him forcefully to the ground. He fought against the bindings, instinctively looking for Temari. The wires had her face down against the dirt. She was twisting to position herself better. Akina, like him, was face up, struggling to release her hands and feet.

Three figures strolled out of the shadows.

_How did I not sense them?_ Shikamaru and Temari thought at the same time.

They were each holding a wire curled around their hands. The tallest one snickered. "This was easier than I thought it'd be." He walked over to Temari. "I thought you Sand-nin were suppose to be strong. Ha. Well, I guess it's just because you're a woman."

Then, he did something that made Shikamaru want to rip him to shreds.

He kicked her, first in her stomach, then in her right shoulder as she curled away from the pain.

She didn't cry out, he knew she wouldn't. But Akina did. "Get away from her you bastard!" The girl tried to worm her way over to Temari. Another one, with dark blue hair, tugged hard on the wire connected to her. Akina winced against the pain.

The tall Rogue Ninja laughed, pressing hard on Temari's shoulder with his foot.

Shikamaru's mind twisted uselessly. He couldn't think of a single thing to do as he watched the third one wordlessly walk up to Akina and shove the heel of his hand into the back of her head, instantly knocking her out. He then picked her up and the three of them(after yelling at the tall one to quit playing around) jumped into the trees, out of seeing distance.

For a moment, the wire remained taunt. But they then crumbled to the ground, allowing the duo to get up.

Well, allowing Shikamaru to get up anyway…

He was at her side in a second, bending down to help her.

"I'm fine!" She gasped. Her face was pale.

"You have to get inside." Shikamaru insisted. "You need to lay down or your bleed to death." From the look of her swelling shoulder, Temari was suffering from internal bleeding.

Temari shook her head, blood dripping down the side of her mouth. "No time. Got to go after Akina…" With Shikamaru's help, she managed to push herself up with her left hand, grabbing her shoulder with her good arm.

"Try to get inside. I'll go after Akina."

"No." She snapped. She breathed deeply against the pain for a moment. "We'll go together. No discussion." On her knees, Temari pushed against the ground and was off before Shikamaru.

He jumped after her, following closely, and made a secret vow.

When he caught that ninja, he was going to kill him.

* * *

Will they get there in time? And what will happen to Temari's arm? Guess you'll have to wait and find out... 

Plz review! And tnx for reading

Time for:

**Review Thank You's**

ForgottenLovedOne: thank you!

Iwannabeamongoose: lol, i know. It's surprising he still has a 200 IQ after all that, huh?

ThisIsntClaire: lol, tnx for reviewing :)

Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet: glad you like it, tnx for reviewing

jimu: i dont plan on stopping anytime soon (though certain siblings of mine dont think i'm going to finish it) lol, tnx for reviewing

SaraDJ: glad you like the notes! i didnt think people would really like them, but i'm glad you did!

ShikaTema.rox.like.hell: i dont know...she might... :)

beerbelly: yep, she's a little jealous... lol, tnx for the review

Haileyamandar: aww, i'm glad you think so! i hope you liked this chapter

Shiva-wolfsbane: glad you like the letters too! nd i hope you liked this chapter, even though it was short too

ForgottenLovedOne: tnx for reviewing


	5. Chapter V

Disclaimer: oh, the havoc i would reek if did own Naruto...but alas...it is only a dream :(

Note: If you review me, and i forget to put your name down there, i'm soo srry, it's just hard to keep up with all my lovely reviews! But i promise to try harder. And yeah, i know, a small chapter. Srry. But i think it'll be very interesting...

Enjoy!

* * *

A burning liquid seared Akina's throat 

Her eyes snapped open, and she began to struggle immediately. Some one was holding her arms, legs, and head down, prying her mouth open. She bit down on the fingers and clamped her mouth shut when the fingers retracted.

That same hand slapped her.

"Bitch." He growled.

He pinched her nose and, when Akina couldn't hold her breath any longer, shoved another spoonful of the foul liquid down her throat.

This happened once more before the man just let her lay there.

"That ought to do it." A younger, male voice said, clearly pleased. Her arms were released.

No one said a word when her legs were released. She scrambled up.

There was no time to wait! She had to…to get out of there…Needed to find Shikamaru and Temari…Had…to…think…

Think…

Akina's brain felt like mush. Every word fell though her hands like water, forgotten as soon as it was thought of.

"Yep, that ought to do it." The blue haired boy repeated, smiling. "So much for your brains now, huh girl?"

Those words meant nothing to her.

The taller one was inspecting his hand. "That little bitch bit me." He growled. He walked over to Akina and slapped her again.

The moment of pain grounded her. _Bastard_, she managed to think before that too slipped into the crevice beyond thought…

"Quit hittin' her." The younger one snapped. "She won't sell for much if she's all black and blue before we even get there! Ain't that right boss?" The third and quiet one of their group was sitting at the base of a tree. He opened his eyes, nodded once, and closed his eyes again.

The tall one smirked. "Wouldn't mind buying you myself." He winked and poked her in the head with two fingers. She just blinked at him.

"Hands off." The younger one warned.

The tall one just laughed and went to harass the leader of their group.

They didn't realized two worried and pissed ninja were closing in on them…

:oOo:

The poison, or whatever it was, was being to wear off.

She couldn't think too hard or the stuff they'd given her would turn her mind back into goop. But she managed to think about the basics.

She knew the other two had left, probably to find something to eat. She knew the abusive one was with her. She knew he was suppose to give her more of the foul liquid. She also knew he hadn't. That was as far as she'd gotten.

It was as far as she could go, or she'd be thrown into the snowstorm of confusion again.

"Yep, we're gonna fetch a pretty penny for you, girl." Her captor was saying, practicing throwing kunai against a tree from the ground. Akina ignored him. Her mind might've been less than useless, but she knew he wasn't worth the process of thought.

She continued to just stare ahead, breathing deeply. Ever since the other two had left, she'd had trouble breathing, not to mention the pains in her chest. So she just sat there, gently pushing her mind into processing more. Which is why she almost missed what happened next.

A kunai whizzed past her head.

Slowly, Akina turned her head to look at it.

_Strange weapon,_ Her mind murmured. It was clear, but warped so you couldn't see straight through it. She felt like she should know what it was…

She did battle with herself, forcing her mind to think about what it was. Her captor frowned over at her, noticing the weapon for the first time.

_It's mine…I made it…somehow…_ The pain in her chest was beginning to throb.

He got up and walked over to her.

_But…I don't…have any…any with me…_ It was beginning to spread down to her stomach.

"Hey, whatcha got there wench?"

_The last time I did…was with…_ The pain spread to her head now.

Her mind was beginning to turn to mush again. She fought against it.

_With…Shikamaru and Temari…_ She felt like throwing up, but remained up right somehow.

"Keh. I forgot you can't think, dummy."

_Which meant…_ The throbbing and aching was overwhelming now.

He bent over and picked it up.

And it all clicked in her mind.

Akina pushed herself to the ground, throwing her arms over her head. Instantly, a gust of wind swept around the clearing, destroying everything in its path. Her captor had just enough time to throw his arms in front of him before the wind whipped around him, throwing his body against a tree with a sickening crunch. Trees and debris thundered around her. All the while, darkness began to cloud Akina's vision…

:oOo:

The wind stopped and Shikamaru jumped down, Temari's good arm around his shoulder.

"There." Temari rasped. Shikamaru sat her against a tree and began to throw the pile of twigs and other debris out of the way. At the bottom of the pile, Akina lay very still.

Shikamaru picked her up. "Akina." He said, loudly.

No response.

Shikamaru scowled, laying her on the ground and putting his head to her chest.

Thump…thump…thump…thump…

Her heartbeats were about five seconds apart. In other words, way too slow. He gathered her up under his arm. "They probably gave her something." He said as he turned around. "Whatever it is, I think my mom-"

A twig snapped.

Shikamaru instinctively turned around and threw three kunai. The other two Rouge Ninjas, having collected their comrade, disappeared before the blades could hit. Shikamaru cursed.

"Anyway-" He stopped again.

Temari was slumped against the tree, her eyes closed. Summoning her weasel had put too much strain on her already weakened body.

If he hadn't have known better, Shikamaru would've said his heart stopped.

"No…"

He laid Akina down and rushed to her, pressing his ear against her chest.

Nothing.

"Come on, Temari, don't do this to me." For the first time, in a long time, Shikamaru used the healing techniques his mother taught him, forcing some of his own charka into Temari, counting to five, and shoving hard against her chest before listening again.

Nothing.

Shikamaru's blood ran cold. His breath quickened as he began to panic.

He shoved again, pressing his ear to her chest.

Nothing.

No…no, this couldn't be happening…not Temari… Shikamaru curled one of his hands into a fist. Damn! He should've made her stay at the house…

Shikamaru froze, mid-thought.

"Please, gods." He breathed, pressing his ear to her chest.

…

_Come on!_

…thump…

_Yes! Again!_

…

_NO!_

…thump…

Shikamaru wrapped Temari's arm around his neck and held Akina under his under arm, jumping into the nearest, undestroyed tree.

_Please, gods, let me make it._

Beside him, two hearts began to go into cardiac arrest.

* * *

Ooo...cliffy...my oh my! what will happen????? Guess you'll have to wait and find out! Muhahahahaha! 

lol, tnx for reading, please review! (quietly continues evil laugh...)

Time for:

**Reviewing Thank You's**

Crystal Jaganshi: glad you like her and my story, tnx for reviewing!

XxmychmclrmncxX: tnx a bunches:)

Shiva-wolfsbane: well, i guess Temari sort of took care of them :) but you never know if they might show up again...

Ih8Bart: lol, glad you like the plot! tnx for reviewing

ThisIsntClaire: lol, thanks! hope you liked this chapter

ShikaTema.rox.like.hell: lol, srry, more cliffhangers!

jimu: well, one of them is majorly hurt, i promise :) tnx for reviewing

Knight-Of-Shadows:tnx

SaraDJ: lol, glad you like the fast updating! and i bet shika-kun is really worried now... (smiles at own evilness)

kkkkkkkkk: huh, that's funny :) tnx for the review

dat: hmm...i think Temari has a lot more to worry about now... tnx for the review!

Haileyamandar: hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!

Thanks every one! plz reveiw!


	6. Chapter VI

Disclaimer: If i owned Naruto, Temari-chan and Shika-kun would've been a pairing a _long_ time ago. But alas, it is out of my hands.

Note: Like i said before, and i quote, "Flames will be ignored." I dont know what was with the flame got but it was pretty random. I'd just like to say, i think there is someone going around just flaming people's stories without even reading them. Maybe i'm late to the game or something, and everyone already knows this, but i'd just like to get that out there. And also, thanks every one who reviewed and waited patiently and reviewed after i didnt update that one day. Also:

I now have exactly fifty reviews!! yay! tnx a bunches everyone

Enjoy!

* * *

_The screams were endless, filling his ears even when he was asleep. Haunting him endlessly. He didn't care. He deserved the torture._

_Shikamaru had raced Akina and Temari into the Emergency Room and contacted Lady Tsunade before running home to fetch is own mother. _

_That's when the screams started._

_First it was Akina._

_The tonic the rogue ninjas had given her was like no other. It kept her alive as long as she had steady doses of it. But once the doses stopped, it began to attack all her major organs, starting with her heart before eating away at the rest. Nara Yoshino barely had time to even sleep from trying to keep the girl alive._

_Tsunade was basically trying to bring Temari back from the dead, she didn't have time to help Shikamaru's mother with the little girl._

_He remembered the screams intensifying as Yoshino walked out of the emergency room, muffled once the door was closed. Shikamaru jumped up._

"_What's going on in there?"_

_Yoshino sent him a scalding look. "We're trying to save two lives, that's what's going on."_

She blames me_, Shikamaru realized as his own mother brushed past him. He sat down with a little sight. _Some man I'm suppose to be_, he thought bitterly._

_Then there was Temari._

_She was the worst. Never in his life had he heard Temari scream. So hearing her scream so long that Tsunade told him she dehydrated herself nearly drove him insane._

_The bones in her shoulder had been crushed. Her entire ribcage and the muscles surrounding her heart had been bruised. One lung had been punctured. But they were trying to do more than just heal that._

_After Temari had completed her summoning jutsu, the muscles surrounding her heart had nearly eroded._

_Tsunade and the medical staff of Konoha were fighting to keep Temari's soul from ripping itself from her dying body._

_And all Shikamaru could do was sit there while one girl was being eaten from the inside out, and the other was a breath away from the after life._

:oOo:

Shikamaru woke up to the familiar sound of beeping.

He grimaced as he twisted the crick out of his neck. Upright in a chair was not the most pleasant way to sleep…

Automatically, he glanced to his left.

Temari's torso was covered with bandages and wires from machines. There was also an IV drip sticking out of her arm.

For about the millionth time, Shikamaru felt a longing to run over to her and rip the cords off her. To shake her awake…

"_I wish you'd gotten her here a little earlier." Tsunade shook her head. Shikamaru felt a twinge of guilt, wishing he'd forced Temari to stay at the house instead of going with him to rescue Akina._

Shikamaru sighed and glanced to the right.

To his surprise, Akina was staring up at the ceiling.

"_I don't know, Shikamaru." His mother sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "They might be this way for a week, or in a coma for years. There's no telling."_

Shikamaru sent a silent prayer of thanks to the gods.

Akina's eyes flickered to him, and she smiled.

Shikamaru swelled up with love toward the girl, before shaking himself mentally. _Get it together,_ _Shikamaru_. He told himself firmly.

"Good Morning." Akina rasped. She made a face at the sound of her own voice and cleared her throat. Shikamaru laughed.

"Good Morning." He greeted. "How are you feeling?" Shikamaru knew he should've been calling his mother or telling someone that she was awake, but a few moments alone with the girl couldn't hurt…

"My head hurts a little. But I think I'm okay." She hesitated, as if wanting to say more. Then, she started pushing herself up.

"Hey, take it easy." He got up and started toward her.

"I can do it." She struggled. _Stubborn_. Shikamaru thought, before helping her anyway. She didn't object.

Once upright, she stared down at her hands.

Then:

"I'm sorry I got you and nii-chan into this mess, please don't sent me home!" Her heart monitor began to beep frantically, and she was already out of breath.

"Take it easy." Shikamaru repeated.

Obediently, she took a few deep breaths. The monitor began to beep steadily again. Still, she look at him with a fearfully pleading face. Shikamaru shook his head.

"None of this was your fault. Neither Temari nor I was paying attention. Your kidnapping was our fault. We weren't being responsible." _And Temari's state is my fault. _Shikamaru thought to himself. _I should've made her stay._

Akina looked surprised. _He's not blaming me?_ She wondered. Back in her village, she got blamed for everything. And that fact that he was taking the blame for himself. Well, that blew her away. She stared at her hands for a moment before a thought occurred to her.

"Oh! The men who attacked us-"

"They're dead."

Again, Shikamaru caught Akina by surprised.

Never in all the while she'd been with the duo, had she heard the Leaf-nin speak with such malice. For a moment, his eyes were dark and angry with hate.

_Of course, she didn't know Shikamaru had gone after those men._

_And she wasn't aware of how he'd suffocated two of them to death._

_She also didn't know that he'd left the tall one, her captor, alive, just to beat him senseless._

_And it was a very good thing she didn't know that by the time the ANBU (who followed him after he went missing for half the day) pulled him off the tallest ninja, the Rogue ninja was already dead. Beaten, quite literally, to a bloody pulp._

These were things a little girl just didn't need to know, no matter how smart she was…

Shikamaru came to his sense and smiled at her. But not before Akina had seen the anger in his eyes. She gave a little smile back.

"So…I can stay?" She ventured, glancing up at him.

He nodded. "Of course, it isn't safe for you to go back right now. Especially with what just happened." Akina gave a little sigh of relief, and laid back down. In a few moments, she was asleep.

Shikamaru turned to contact a doctor when a voice stopped him.

"Wait."

It wasn't Akina's.

Slowly, Shikamaru turned around. Again, he gave silent thanks to the gods.

After two and a half weeks, Temari's eyes were fully opened, clearly seeing him. After two and a half weeks, a fever wasn't making Temari speak. It was all her.

Temari glanced around. "Where's my fan?" She murmured, her voice was rusty with disuse.

"Lord Kazekage has it." Shikamaru replied.

Gaara had been lenient, deciding to wait until his sister was awake before deciding if he was going to break ties with Konoha. He hadn't even mentioned Shikamaru.

Kankuro, on the other hand, had been very…_talkative_ when it came to

'the baka that'd gotten his sister into this mess'.

Temari nodded, though her head barely moved. "Good. Better him then Kankuro. He'd sell it or lose it in a bet or something." She smiled at him, but frowned when Shikamaru just stared back at her.

"What? What's wrong with you?"

He shook his head. "Nothing…nothing, I…I'm just pleased you're okay." Temari continued to frown.

"Nara, how long have I been out?" She ordered.

He shrugged and stuffed hands into his pocket. "Not very long."

"Nara."

"…Two and a half weeks."

He watched her blink in surprise. They stared at each other in silence.

"You're kidding, right?"

He didn't respond. She sighed.

"So, what happened?"

It was his turn to look surprised. "You don't remember?"

She shrugged and sat up. Shikamaru sat back down in his seat, in case she needed any help. "The last thing I remember is doing my summoning jutsu. Then I woke up here."

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, that's about it."

Temari shook her head, stopping when she became dizzy. "All I had was a few broken bones." She looked at him.

"You used up a lot of charka." He responded to the question in her eyes.

"Not enough to send me into a coma for almost three weeks." She argued.

"_Exactly_ enough to sent you into a coma for almost three weeks." He retorted.

They stared at each other again, silent.

"The ninjas that kidnapped Akina…?" Temari question, asking almost the same thing Akina had.

"Dead." Shikamaru responded, keeping his voice calm. But he couldn't hide the truth from Temari.

"You didn't have to do that, Shikamaru." She said softly, knowing instantly what he'd done..

"Hai." He responded, I did.

_Years later, Temari still wouldn't know exactly how the easy going, strategic Shikamaru had killed those men. She'd ask, but he never would tell her how, for a little while, he seemed to go crazy with rage, hunting for the rogue ninjas with no mercy…_

"I did with all the screaming going on."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Shikamaru wish he could take them back. Temari was staring at him in disbelief.

"Screaming?" She repeated.

Shikamaru stood up. "I'm going to go get a doctor." He murmured, heading for the door.

Temari wondered if she would regret the words about to come out of her mouth.

"Shikamaru."

He stopped.

"Don't leave me." She whispered.

He turned and smiled at her. "Never."

Something fluttered in Temari's stomach, and she was sure it wasn't a side effect of the drugs she was on.

Shikamaru walked out of the room. After two and a half weeks, he'd decided what to do.

Now all he could do was wonder if Temari liked gold or silver rings…

And exactly _how_ hard she would hit him if he asked her to marry him…

He winced at the painful mental picture.

* * *

hmmm, will Temari and Shikamaru get married? Or will someone stop them? And where does Akina fit into all of this? Guess you'll have to read and find out! (pats self on the back for cleverness) 

lol, tnx for reading! plz review!

Time for:

**Reviewing Thank You's:**

Iwannabeamongoose: hope you liked this chapter! tnx for reviewing

Haileyamandar: I know, poor shika-kun was in a stressful situation, lol :)

beerbelly: lol, srry for the cliffie last time. But there wasnt really one this time:)

ShikaTema.rox.like.hell: i updated as fast as i can! tnx for that review

ThisIsntClaire: i'm glad you like her, her personality is kinda hard to keep writing though. but, like i said, glad you like her!

SaraDJ: (backs away slowly from reviewer) lol, jk. Naw, i wouldnt kill any of them! or would i...? (muhahahaha) lol, tnx for the reveiw :)

chester-roxs: tnx

Shiva-wolfsbane: well, it bothers me when other people dont update their stories quick enough (i have exactly zero patience) so i try to updae as fast as i can :)

Kemari Demon Wolf of Konoha: neither rain, nor sleet, nor power outage will keep me from updating!!!! lol, tnx a bunch for the review

Dark Duchess and Shadow Que..: yay! everyone thinks it's awsome:)

Thanks again, everybody :)


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